1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium on which a computer-executable program is recorded, a data access method, a game progress control method, and a game machine all, of which are used for video games.
2. Description of Background Information
In recent game machines, large-capacity recording media such as the CD-ROM (compact disc-read only memory) are used to store data and a program that are necessary to execute a game. To use the program and data recorded on a CD-ROM, it is necessary to store them in a main memory. However, because of a limited capacity of the main memory, the program and data that are necessary to execute the game are read from the CD-ROM into the main memory every time information from them is needed.
Examples of data necessary to execute a game are model data of each object, texture data (image data), and effect sound data. When switching between scenes of a game (scene: a continuous unit part in the flow of a game), data that is necessary to execute the game in the new scene is read from the CD-ROM. In general, in a CD-ROM for a video game, various types of data are recorded in different recording regions, respectively.
Therefore, to read the various types of data from a CD-ROM, it is necessary to access a plurality of recording regions that are in segregates radial positions on the disc. To read such data, a data read head is moved radially in a seek operation. The seek operation takes time because the head is moved mechanically.
When a large amount of data is read from a CD-ROM at scene switching, there is a long data read time because several seek operations are needed. In other words, the scene switching time depends on the number of seek operations.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a computer-readable program recording medium, a data access method, a game progress control method, and a game machine that are suitable for shortening the data read time.
To attain the above object, the invention provides a computer-readable recording medium comprising a data recording area that is divided into a plurality of sequentially accessible unit data recording regions, wherein composite data that correlates a plurality of data that are used in the same scene of a video game and are connected to each other, data names of the respective data, and index information that is used to read out the plurality of data individually is recorded, as a single processing unit, in a plurality of unit data recording regions of the data recording area. More specifically, the index information includes information indicating the heads of the respective data.
In the recording medium according to the invention, a plurality of data are recorded in a plurality of consecutive recording regions. Therefore, the number of recording regions that are used in vain can be made smaller than in a case where data are recorded individually in different recording regions. Further, since the names of the respective data are recorded in composite data set together with the data. Therefore, the data can be read out individually after the composite data set has been stored.
The invention also provides a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for a video game that is run by a computer is recorded, the recording medium comprising a data recording area that is divided into a plurality of, sequentially accessible unit data recording regions each for recording of data having a prescribed length, wherein the program causes a computer to execute the steps of reading out, as a single processing unit, composite data that is recorded, as a single data, in a plurality of consecutive unit data recording regions on the recording medium and that correlates a plurality of data that are used in the same scene of the video game, data names of the respective data, and index information indicating heads of the respective data; storing the read-out composite data in a randomly accessible memory with each of the plurality of data as a processing unit by storing storage locations of the respective data based on the index information; and accessing one of the plurality of data stored in the memory that is necessary to advance the video game based on the data names in the stored composite data and a data name of the necessary data.
The invention also provides a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for a video game that is run by a computer is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute the steps of determining, in accordance with a manipulation input, a scene in which the video game is to advance in a virtual space; acquiring composite data to be used in the determined scene from a plurality of composite data, each of which includes a plurality of data that are used in the same scene of the video game and are given respective data names, and is recorded, as a single processing unit, in consecutive regions on the recording medium; and accessing individually the plurality of data included in the acquired composite data based on the data names, and advancing the determined scene by using the accessed data.
The invention provides a data access method comprising the steps of reading out, as a single processing unit, composite data that is recorded, as a single processing unit, in a plurality of consecutive unit data recording regions on a recording medium and that includes a plurality of data that are used in the same scene of a video game, data names of the respective data, and index information to be used to read out each of the plurality of data separately from the other data, the recording medium having a data recording area that is divided into a plurality of sequentially accessible unit data recording regions, each for recording of data having a prescribed length; storing the read-out composite data in a randomly accessible memory; and accessing one of the plurality of data stored in the memory that is necessary to advance the video game based on the data names and the index information in the stored composite data and a data name of the necessary data.
The invention provides an game progress control method for advancing a video game in a virtual space by using data recorded on a recording medium, comprising the steps of determining, in accordance with a manipulation input, a scene in which the video game is to advance in a virtual space; acquiring composite data to be used in the determined scene from a plurality of composite data each of which includes a plurality of data that are used in the same scene of the video game and are given respective data names, and is recorded, as a single processing unit, in consecutive regions on the recording medium; and accessing individually the plurality of data included in the acquired composite data based on the data names, and advancing the determined scene by using the accessed data.
Further, the invention provides a game machine comprising determining means for determining in accordance with a manipulation input, a scene in which a video game is to advance in a virtual space; acquiring means for acquiring composite data to be used in the determined scene from a plurality of composite data each of which includes a plurality of data that are used in the same scene of the video game and are given respective data names, and is recorded, as a single processing unit, in consecutive regions on the recording medium; and advancing means for accessing individually the plurality of data included in the acquired composite data based on the data names, and for advancing the determined scene by using the accessed data.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 11-327555, filed on Nov. 17, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.